JP4600243B2 - Flash fixing device and image forming apparatus using the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a printer that employs a dry electrophotographic method and the like, and a flash fixing device used therefor, and in particular, the flash lamp emits light and is undetermined on a recording medium by light energy emitted from the flash lamp. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a high-speed printer provided with a flash fixing device for fixing a received toner image, and a flash fixing device used therefor.

JP 2004-191507 A Japanese Patent No. 2944771

  Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as a printer that employs this type of dry electrophotographic method, an image is formed on a recording medium with powdered toner. Therefore, the powdered toner formed on the recording medium is melted. Thus, the toner image is fixed to obtain a permanent image. In order to fix the toner image on the recording medium as described above, it is necessary to apply fixing energy such as thermal energy to the recording medium.

  In a high-speed printer, as a method of giving this fixing energy, a flash fixing device using flash light from a non-contact type flash lamp 100 is used as shown in FIG. This non-contact type flash fixing apparatus is suitable for a high-speed printer because it can apply high energy without affecting the conveyance of the recording medium 101. In FIG. 17, reference numeral 102 denotes a reflecting plate, and 103 denotes a cover glass.

  As described above, although it is a flash fixing device capable of imparting high energy, according to recent needs, in order to reduce the printing cost, multiple-up printing, printing on wider paper, etc. are expected. Yes.

  However, in the above flash fixing device, when the width of the paper to be fixed becomes wide, naturally, unless the light energy in the longitudinal direction of the flash lamp is increased accordingly, a good fixed image cannot be obtained.

  Therefore, in the conventional flash fixing device, for example, in order to increase the print width by 1.2 times, the length of the flash lamp is increased by approximately 1.2 times to fix the toner image.

  However, in the conventional flash fixing device, it is found that when the flash lamp is made long, various problems such as a decrease in the amount of light, an increase in manufacturing cost, and a decrease in yield occur when light is emitted at the same voltage. It was.

  Further, the conventional flash fixing device has a problem that if the flash lamp is lengthened, unevenness in the amount of light at the center and the end of the lamp is large, which is one of the causes of lowering the image quality. .

  Further, the latter problem will be described. In the flash fixing apparatus, when the flash lamp 100 is lengthened, as shown in FIG. 18, the flash light beam 111 emitted from the region on the electrode 110a side at one end is The reflected light is reflected on the nearby reflecting plate 102a side and applied to the substantially central portion of the flash lamp 100, and the flash beam 112 emitted from the other electrode 110b side region is also reflected on the neighboring reflecting plate 102b side. As shown in FIG. 18, the light energy is condensed on the central portion of the recording medium 102, and the light energy at the central portion of the recording medium is high. The light energy at the center of the flash lamp will be low and the unevenness in the amount of light at the center and end of the flash lamp will be large, reducing the image quality. He had a point.

  Further, in the flash lamp 100, when the flash beam 113 emitted from the region on the electrode 110b side at one end is reflected by the opposite reflecting plate 102a, the light energy reflected by the opposite reflecting plate 102a is If the flash beam emitted from the region on the electrode 110a side at the other end is also reflected by the opposite reflector, the region opposite to the recording medium 12 is irradiated with the opposite reflector. Since the reflected light energy is irradiated to a region greatly deviating from the recording medium, the light energy irradiated from the flash lamp 100 cannot be used effectively.

  In particular, since the light energy emitted from the electrode-side region at one end and reflected by the opposite reflector is light energy emitted from a wide region along the longitudinal direction of the flash lamp 100, the inside of the glass tube However, there is a problem in that the light beam, which is a collection of light energy emitted by individual molecules such as mercury encapsulated, cannot be used effectively.

  Therefore, in order to improve such a problem, as shown in FIG. 19, the light is emitted from the electrode-side region at one end and reflected by the opposite-side reflector as shown in FIG. It is also conceivable to provide end reflection members 105a and 105b that reflect light rays to the recording medium.

  However, in the case of the flash fixing device in which the end reflection member is provided, as shown in FIG. 19, the flash light beam 114 emitted from the electrode side region at one end is transmitted by the end reflection member 105b on the opposite side. The reflected light can be condensed near the end of the recording medium on the opposite side, and the light energy at the end 101b of the recording medium 101 can be increased, but the amount is small. A state in which flash light emitted from the electrode side region at one end is reflected by the reflector 102 in the vicinity and irradiated to the substantially central portion of the flash lamp 100, and the light energy at the central portion of the recording medium 101 is increased. It still had the problem that it could not be improved.

  In the flash lamp, when the flash emitted from the electrode side region at one end is reflected by the opposite reflector, the light energy reflected by the opposite reflector largely deviates from the recording medium. If the flash emitted from the electrode-side region at the other end is also reflected by the opposite reflector, the light energy reflected by the opposite reflector is recorded on the recording medium. However, the light energy emitted from the flash lamp cannot be used effectively.

  As described above, even in the flash fixing device provided with the end reflection member, it is difficult to say that the light emission energy of the flash lamp can be used sufficiently effectively, and at the center and the end of the flash lamp. The problem is that the unevenness in the amount of light cannot be reduced to a level where there is no problem.

  Therefore, as a technique that can solve such a problem, for example, those disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-252383, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-308852, or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-20840 have already been disclosed. Proposed.

  The flash fixing device according to the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-252383 is arranged almost parallel to the surface of the recording material, and directly emits light for fixing the toner adhering to the surface of the recording material to the recording material. In a flash fixing device comprising a tubular flash lamp and a reflector that surrounds the flash lamp over the substantially entire length from the opposite side of the recording material and reflects light generated from the lamp toward the surface of the recording material A reflecting member for reflecting the light emitted from the lamp toward the portion of the recording material close to the end of the lamp tube is attached to the inner surface of both ends of the reflector.

  Further, the flash lamp fixing device according to the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-308852 is provided so as to surround the flash lamp except for the flash lamp and an opening on one side, and a part of the light emitted by the flash lamp is In a flash lamp fixing device including a reflecting plate that reflects toward the opening, the sheet conveyance speed is V, the flash cycle of the flash lamp is T, the half width of the opening of the reflecting plate is L1, and 1 by the flash lamp. These values are set so that V / T ≧ L1 ≧ V / T−L2 / 2 holds when the length of the area fixable by one flash is L2.

  Further, the flash fixing device according to the above Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-20840 is a flash fixing device for fixing a toner image with flash light, and includes a plurality of flash lamps arranged in parallel to each other, and a flash lamp. And a reflecting plate including side reflecting surfaces facing from the side corresponding to the respective flash lamps, and a surface including two central axes of two flash lamps arranged at both ends. In this case, the acute angle formed with respect to the reference surface is set to be smaller as the side reflection surface closer to the array center of the plurality of flash lamps.

  However, the conventional technique has the following problems. That is, in the case of the flash fixing device according to the above Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-252383, as shown in FIG. 20, the light emitted from the flash lamp 100 is applied to the inner surfaces of both ends of the reflector 102 by a recording material lamp. The reflection members 120a, 120b, 130a, and 130b that reflect toward the portion close to the tube end portion are attached. By attaching the reflection members 120a, 120b, 130a, and 130b, the flash lamp can be surely attached. Although the light beam 121 emitted from the central portion 100a of the 100 and applied to the portion close to the end of the lamp tube can be increased, and the light energy on both ends can be increased, the reflecting members 120a, 120b, Since 130a and 130b are spaced apart from the lamp to some extent, Is emitted from one end 100b of the flop, the light beam 122 emitted along the vicinity of the surface of the lamp, has a problem that can not be effectively utilized by irradiating the recording material by reflection.

  Further, in the case of the flash fixing device according to the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-252383, as shown in FIG. 20, the light amount difference in the portion where the light energy in the vicinity of both ends of the recording material increases rapidly is about 8 Therefore, there is a problem that the image quality is deteriorated such as color unevenness.

  Further, in the case of the flash lamp fixing device according to the above-mentioned JP-A-6-308852, the reflector is basically arranged in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the flash lamp, and the longitudinal direction of the flash lamp as described above. However, it is difficult to obtain the effect of improving the unevenness of the light energy along the line.

  Also in the case of the flash fixing device according to the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-20840, basically, the reflector is arranged in parallel to the longitudinal direction of the flash lamp, and the length of the flash lamp as described above is used. There is a problem that it is difficult to obtain an effect of improving the unevenness of light energy along the direction.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to effectively use the light energy emitted from the flash lamp and to irradiate the recording medium. The present invention provides a flash fixing device that can substantially uniformize the energy of light emitted along the longitudinal direction of the flash lamp and obtain a fixed image with good image quality, and an image forming apparatus using the same. is there.

That is, the invention described in claim 1 is a flash fixing device that causes a flash lamp to emit light and fixes an unfixed toner image on a recording medium by light energy emitted from the flash lamp.
A reflection member that reflects the light beam emitted from the flash lamp toward a recording medium;
The reflecting member is irradiated from a first reflecting surface that reflects a light beam irradiated from one end of the flash lamp to a recording medium in the vicinity of the one end of the flash lamp, and from the other end of the flash lamp. A flash fixing device comprising a second reflecting surface for reflecting light rays to a recording medium in the vicinity of the opposite side of the flash lamp.

  The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that the vicinity of one end and the opposite side of the flash lamp are regions of 30 mm on both sides centering on the end of the recording medium. The flash fixing device described.

  When the longitudinal direction of the flash lamp and the conveyance direction of the recording medium are arranged in the same direction, the end of the recording paper is near both ends of the flash lamp, and the printing area of the recording paper The vicinity of one end of the flash lamp and the vicinity of the opposite side of the flash lamp are areas of 30 mm on both sides centering on the front and rear ends in the print area (= conveyance speed ÷ flash frequency). It is.

  Furthermore, in the invention described in claim 3, the installation angle of the first reflecting surface and the second reflecting surface of the reflecting member is reflected at the center position of the first reflecting surface and the second reflecting surface. 3. The flash fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the light beam is set so as to irradiate an end of the recording medium.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the light emitted from one end of the flash lamp is reflected to the recording medium near the opposite side of the flash lamp in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the flash lamp. The flash fixing device according to claim 1, wherein an auxiliary reflecting plate is disposed.

  Further, in the invention described in claim 5, the flash lamp is disposed in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording medium. It is.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the flash fixing device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the flash lamp is disposed in a conveyance direction of the recording medium.

  Further, in the invention described in claim 7, a plurality of the reflecting members are respectively disposed on both sides along the longitudinal direction of the flash lamp, and all the reflecting members correspond to the recording medium. The flash fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the light beam is reflected so as to be condensed on the same portion of the end portion.

  Further, in the invention described in claim 8, a plurality of the reflecting members are respectively disposed on both sides along the longitudinal direction of the flash lamp, and are disposed on the inner side along the longitudinal direction of the flash lamp. 7. The flash fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the reflecting member is configured to reflect a light beam inward from an end portion of the recording medium.

  The invention described in claim 9 is characterized in that the reflecting member is formed in any one of a triangular shape, a trapezoidal shape, a polygonal shape, and a curved shape in cross section. Or a flash fixing device according to any one of the above.

  Furthermore, an invention described in claim 10 is an image forming apparatus using the flash fixing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

  According to the present invention, the light energy emitted from the flash lamp can be effectively used, and the light energy applied to the recording medium can be substantially uniform along the longitudinal direction of the flash lamp, which is favorable. It is possible to provide a flash fixing device capable of obtaining a fixed image with high image quality and an image forming apparatus using the same.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1
FIG. 2 shows a high-speed printer as an image forming apparatus to which the flash fixing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is applied.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the high-speed printer 1 is, for example, a series of continuous long sheets of high-speed printer paper that is a continuous medium as a recording medium separated by folds (perforations) for each page. It is possible to print images. The printer main body 2 of the high-speed printer 1 is formed in a substantially gate-like shape with a relatively right portion formed by a right image forming portion 3, a central fixing portion 4, and a left discharge portion 5. In the image forming unit 3 of the printer main body 2, a photosensitive drum 6 as an image carrier is disposed so as to be rotatable at high speed along the arrow direction. The photosensitive drum 6 is set to a large diameter of about 242 mm, and is constituted by a conductive cylindrical body whose surface is coated with a photosensitive layer made of a photoconductive material such as OPC, amorphous-Si, or Se. . Two primary chargers 7 and 8 made of scorotron or the like for uniformly charging the surface of the photosensitive drum 6 to a predetermined potential are arranged side by side above the photosensitive drum 6 and on the diagonally right side. . Further, on the right side surface of the photosensitive drum 6, the surface of the photosensitive drum 6 uniformly charged to a predetermined potential by the two primary chargers 7 and 8 is exposed according to image information. An LED print head 9 having an LED array as an image exposure means for performing the above is disposed, and the surface of the photosensitive drum 6 is subjected to image exposure by the LED print head 9, and according to image information. An electrostatic latent image is formed.

  The electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 6 is visualized by the developing device 10 arranged from the lower right side to the lower side of the photosensitive drum 6 and is made of powder toner. A toner image is formed. The developing device 10 includes three developing rolls 11 corresponding to the photosensitive drum 6 rotating at high speed so that the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum 6 can be developed at high speed. It is arranged. The developing device 10 may employ either a one-component development system or a two-component development system.

  Further, on the lower left side of the photosensitive drum 6 is a transfer charge made of corotron as a transfer means for transferring the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 6 onto the continuous paper 12 as a recording medium. The toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 6 is charged by the transfer charger 13 and sequentially transferred onto the continuous paper 12.

  The continuous paper 12 as the recording medium is configured to be fed from a paper feeding unit 14 provided inside the lower end of the image forming unit 3 of the printer main body 2. The continuous paper 12 is a series of continuous long papers, which are separated by creases (perforations) for each page. As shown in the drawing, the continuous paper 12 is folded. The set 15 is disposed in the paper feeding unit 14.

  Depending on the needs of the user, various types of continuous paper 12 are used, and a coating is applied to the surface of plain paper, paper that is thinner than the paper, cardboard, or plain paper or cardboard. Seven to eight or more types of paper such as coated paper or paper colored in a predetermined color such as yellow are prepared. Further, as the continuous paper 12, the wide paper can be used.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the continuous paper 12 on which the toner image is transferred from the photosensitive drum 6 by the transfer charger 13 is conveyed to the fixing unit 4 by a conveying unit (not shown), and is arranged in the fixing unit 4. The unfixed toner image is fixed on the continuous paper 12 by the flash fixing device 16 that has been provided. At this time, the continuous paper 12 is continuously conveyed. However, by providing a storage unit for temporarily storing the continuous paper 12 on the upstream side of the flash fixing device 16, the continuous paper 12 is intermittently provided. A fixing process may be performed by the flash fixing device 16 during conveyance.

  Then, the continuous paper 12 on which the unfixed toner image is fixed by the flash fixing device 16 is discharged in a state of being folded on a paper discharge tray 18 provided in the paper discharge unit 5 by the transport roll 17.

  The surface of the photosensitive drum 6 after the toner image transfer process is completed, after residual toner and the like are removed by the cleaning blade 20 of the cleaning device 19, the residual charges are removed by the static eliminator 21 made of corotron. At the same time, paper powder, toner powder and the like are removed by the cleaning brush 22 to prepare for the next image forming process.

  In FIG. 2, reference numeral 23 denotes a flash control unit that controls light emission (light emission frequency) of a flash lamp 24 of the flash fixing device 16 to be described later.

  By the way, in this embodiment, in a flash fixing device that emits a flash lamp and fixes an unfixed toner image on a recording medium by light energy emitted from the flash lamp, the light emitted from the flash lamp is A reflecting member that reflects toward the recording medium, the reflecting member reflecting a light beam irradiated from one end of the flash lamp to a recording medium near one end of the flash lamp; And a second reflecting surface that reflects the light beam irradiated from the other end of the flash lamp to a recording medium in the vicinity of the opposite side of the flash lamp.

  In this embodiment, the vicinity of one end and the opposite side of the flash lamp are configured to be 30 mm on both sides centering on the end of the recording medium.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the installation angle of the first reflecting surface and the second reflecting surface of the reflecting member is such that the light beam reflected at the center position of the first reflecting surface and the second reflecting surface is: It is set to irradiate the end of the recording medium.

  That is, in the high-speed printer according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, as the fixing device 16, a plurality of flash lamps 24 emit light, and the continuous energy as a recording medium is generated by the light energy emitted from the flash lamps 24. A flash fixing device that fixes an unfixed toner image on the book 12 is used. The flash fixing device 16 includes a plurality of (four in the illustrated example) flash lamps 24 arranged in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the continuous paper 12. The reflector 25 is arranged in parallel with each other at regular intervals along the transport direction of the continuous paper 12. As shown in FIG. 3B, the length of the flash lamp 24 is set longer than the print area which is the width of the recording medium. The lower surface of the flash lamp 24 is covered with a cover glass 26.

  As shown in FIG. 3 (b), the flash lamp 24 is filled with a rare gas such as mercury vapor or xenon (Xe) gas inside a glass tube formed in a rod shape. A first electrode 27a (for example, a positive electrode) and a second electrode 27b (for example, a negative electrode) for arcing the flash lamp 24 to emit light are attached to both ends. .

  In addition, a trigger wire (not shown) made of a metal wire having a diameter of about 0.5 to 1.0 mm is linearly arranged below the flash lamp 24 (on the recording medium side) in order to promote excitation of the flash lamp 24. For example, a high voltage of about 20 kV is applied to the trigger wire.

  In this embodiment, a convex shape having a triangular cross section is formed on the inner surface (inner surface) of the reflecting plate 25 at positions near both ends along the longitudinal direction of the flash lamp 24 as shown in FIG. Reflecting members 30a and 30b are provided. The reflection members 30a and 30b are made of metal, synthetic resin, or the like, and the surface thereof is mirror-finished as necessary. The two reflecting members 30a and 30b are formed symmetrically about the center line 31 in the width direction of the recording medium 12 as a symmetry axis. As shown in FIG. The recording medium 12 is disposed along the conveying direction of the orthogonal recording medium 12.

  As shown in FIG. 1, each of the reflecting members 30 a and 30 b applies a light beam 32 irradiated from one end (on the electrode 27 a side) of the flash lamp 24 to a region 12 a of the recording medium 12 near one end of the flash lamp 24. The first reflecting surface 300 a that reflects toward the head and the light beam 34 that is irradiated from the other end (on the electrode 27 b side) of the flash lamp 24 is reflected to the region 12 a of the recording medium 12 near the opposite side of the flash lamp 24. The second reflecting surface 300b is formed so as to protrude downward in a substantially triangular shape.

  Next, a method for determining the angles of the first reflecting surface and the second reflecting surface of each of the reflecting members will be described.

  FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the reflecting member provided on the left side of FIG. First, the flash beam 32 emitted from the vicinity of the electrode 27a on one end side of the flash lamp 24 is reflected at the center of the first reflecting surface 300a of the reflecting member 30a, and the reflection destination is the end of the recording medium 12 on the electrode 27a side. The angle α of the first reflecting surface 300a is determined so as to be the partial region 12a. Here, the end area 12a of the recording medium 12 refers to an area of 30 mm on both sides with the end of the recording medium 12 as the center. The reason is that the first and second reflecting surfaces 300a and 300b have a certain size (area), and therefore, the both sides of the recording medium 12 are irradiated to about 30 mm around the end. This is because light rays contribute to fixing of the recording medium 12.

  Next, the first reflecting surface 300a is formed so that the height of the first reflecting surface 300a with respect to the reflecting plate 25 becomes a predetermined value h1 while maintaining the angle α. At this time, it is desirable to set the predetermined value h1 as close to the flash lamp 24 as possible because stray light that is not reflected by the first reflecting surface 300a and does not reach the recording medium 12 is reduced. Further, the reflecting member 30 a may be disposed so as to intersect the flash lamp 24. In other words, the reflecting member 30 a may be configured so as to extend below the surface of the flash lamp 24 by notching a portion of the flash lamp 24.

  In this way, by setting the angle α and the height h1 of the first reflecting surface 300a of the reflecting member 30a, the light beam 32 irradiated from the vicinity of the electrode at one end of the flash lamp 24 is emitted from the flash lamp 24. It can be configured to reflect to the recording medium 12 near the one end 12a.

  Further, a method for setting the angle α on the first reflecting surface of the reflecting member will be described in detail.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a point C is set at an arbitrary position of the reflector, and the coordinates of the point C are (Xc, h2). Here, the coordinates are determined such that the position on the straight line including the surface of the recording medium 12 and corresponding to the position immediately below the tip of the electrode is the origin O.

  Next, a first reflection surface 300a having a height h1 is provided at an angle α with the point C on the reflection plate 25 as a base point. At this time, the center of the first reflecting surface 300a is the point D (Xd, h2-h1 / 2), the center of the electrode 27a of the flash lamp 24 is the point A (0, h3), and the end of the printing area is the point. Let B ([L−W] / 2, 0). Depending on the positional relationship between the reflecting member 30a and the recording medium 12, both cases of θ2> 90 ° and θ2 <90 ° are conceivable. Here, L is the length between the electrodes 27a and 27b where arc discharge of the flash lamp 24 occurs, W is the width of the printing area, that is, the recording medium 12, h2 is the height of the reflector 25, and h3 is the electrode of the flash lamp 24. The height from the origin O of 27a is shown, respectively.

  Then, the position of the point D is determined and the angle α is determined so that the relationship of α, θ1, and θ2 in the following Expression 1 is satisfied so as to satisfy the geometrical positional relationship described above.

  On the other hand, the flash beam 34 emitted from the vicinity of the electrode 27b on the other end side of the flash lamp 24 is reflected at the center of the second reflecting surface 300b of the reflecting member 30b, and the reflection destination is the opposite end of the recording medium 12. The angle β of the second reflecting surface 300b is determined so as to be the region 12b. Then, the second reflection surface 300b maintains the angle β and the second reflection surface so that the second reflection surface 300b has a height value h1 that is equal to the first reflection surface 300a, that is, a position that intersects the first reflection surface 300a. Form a surface. Here, since the reflecting members 30a and 30b are arranged symmetrically with the center line 30 as the axis of symmetry, both of them distinguish the first and second reflecting surfaces and the light beams 32 and 34. The first reflecting surface is 300a, the second reflecting surface is 300b, the light beam reflected near the irradiation position is the light beam 32, and the light beam irradiated and reflected on the opposite side of the irradiation position is the light beam 34. .

  Thus, by setting the angle β and the height h1 of the second reflecting surface 300b of the reflecting member 30a, the light beam 34 irradiated from the other end of the flash lamp 24 is opposite to the flash lamp 24. It can be configured to reflect to the end region 12b of the recording medium 12 in the vicinity.

  A method for setting the angle β on the second reflecting surface of the reflecting member will be described in detail.

  As shown in FIG. 6, similarly, a point C is set at an arbitrary position of the reflector 25, and the coordinates of the point C are set to (Xc, h2). Here, the coordinates are determined so that the position on the straight line including the surface of the recording medium 12 and corresponding to the position immediately below the tip of the electrode 27a is the origin O.

  Next, a first reflection surface 300a having a height h1 is provided at an angle α with the point C on the reflection plate 25 as a base point. At this time, the center of the first reflective surface 300a is the point D (Xd, h2-h1 / 2), the center of the electrode 27a of the flash lamp 24 is the point A (0, h3), and the extreme end opposite to the print area. Let the part be point B (Xb, 0). Depending on the positional relationship between the reflecting member 30a and the recording medium 12, both cases of θ2> 90 ° and θ2 <90 ° are conceivable. Here, Xb = (L−W) / 2 + W.

  Then, the position of the point D is determined and the angle α is determined so that the relationship of α, θ1, and θ2 in Expression 2 below is satisfied so as to satisfy the geometrical positional relationship described above.

  In the above configuration, in the high-speed printer to which the flash fixing device according to this embodiment is applied, the light energy emitted from the flash lamp can be effectively used as follows, and the light irradiated onto the recording medium The energy can be made substantially uniform along the longitudinal direction of the flash lamp, and a fixed image with good image quality can be obtained.

  That is, in the high-speed printer configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 2, the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 6 is sequentially transferred onto the continuous paper 12 as a recording medium, and the toner The continuous paper 12 on which the image has been transferred is conveyed to the flash fixing device 16 where light energy is irradiated by the flash fixing device 16 and the unfixed toner image is fixed on the continuous paper 12 by the light energy. It is like that.

  In the high-speed printer, there is a case where a wide continuous paper 12 is required as a recording medium in accordance with the needs of the user or the like. In the flash fixing device 16, the wide width of the continuous paper 12 is wide. It is necessary to fix the unfixed toner image on the continuous paper 12 with light energy by irradiating substantially uniform light energy.

  Incidentally, in the flash fixing device 16 according to the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the reflecting members 300 a and 300 b are attached to the inner surface of the reflecting plate 25, and the reflecting members 300 a and 300 b correspond to the flash lamp 24. A first reflecting surface 300a that reflects the light beam 32 irradiated from one end to the recording medium 12 near one end of the flash lamp 24, and a light beam 34 irradiated from the other end of the flash lamp 24, A second reflecting surface 300b that reflects to the recording medium 12 in the vicinity of the opposite side of the flash lamp 24 is provided.

  Therefore, in the flash fixing device 16, as shown in FIG. 1, the flash beam 32 irradiated from the vicinity of the electrode 27 a at one end portion of the flash lamp 24 is reflected near one end portion of the flash lamp 24. Reflected by the first reflecting surface 300a of the member 30a, the continuous paper 12 near one end of the flash lamp 30a is irradiated. Further, the flash beam 34 irradiated from the vicinity of the electrode 27 b at the other end of the flash lamp 24 and irradiated to the opposite side along the longitudinal direction of the flash lamp 24 is arranged near one end of the flash lamp 24. Reflected by the second reflecting surface 300 b of the reflecting member 30 a provided, the continuous paper 12 in the vicinity of one end 12 a of the flash lamp 24 is irradiated.

  Further, the flash beam irradiated from the central portion of the flash lamp 24 and the vicinity thereof is reflected by the reflector 25 itself and irradiated onto the continuous paper 12 positioned below the central portion of the flash lamp 24 and the vicinity thereof. Is done.

  As a result, according to the above-described embodiment, the light energy emitted from the flash lamp can be used effectively, and the light energy irradiated to the recording medium is substantially uniform along the longitudinal direction of the flash lamp. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a fixed image with good image quality.

  FIG. 7 is a graph showing a result obtained by calculating the light energy irradiated to the recording medium by numerical calculation when the flash fixing device according to the first embodiment is used.

  As is apparent from FIG. 7, the light energy at both ends along the longitudinal direction of the flash lamp is increased by disposing the reflecting members having the first and second reflecting surfaces from the both ends of the flash lamp. Thus, it can be seen that the flash lamp can be substantially uniform along the longitudinal direction of the flash lamp.

  FIG. 8 shows the calculation of the light energy applied to the recording medium 12 by numerical calculation when the flash fixing device 16 according to the first embodiment is combined with the technology provided with the auxiliary reflectors 38a and 38b shown in FIG. It is a graph which shows the result calculated | required. In the flash fixing device 16 shown in FIG. 8, the reflecting members 30a and 30b are configured as shown in the first embodiment as shown in FIG.

  As is apparent from FIG. 8, reflecting members 30 a and 30 b having first and second reflecting surfaces 300 a and 300 b are disposed from both ends of the flash lamp 24, and end portions are provided at both ends of the flash lamp 24. By adding the reflectors 38a and 38b, it is possible to increase the light energy at both ends along the longitudinal direction of the flash lamp 24, and to prevent the inner side of the both ends from falling. It can be seen that it can be made even more uniform.

Embodiment 2
FIG. 10 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. The same reference numerals are given to the same parts as those in the first embodiment, and in this second embodiment, irradiation is performed from a flash lamp. A plurality of reflecting members that reflect the light beam toward the recording medium are provided, and each of the reflecting members receives a light beam irradiated from one end portion of the flash lamp near the one end portion of the flash lamp. A first reflecting surface that reflects to the recording medium and a second reflecting surface that reflects the light beam irradiated from the other end of the flash lamp to the recording medium in the vicinity of the opposite side of the flash lamp are provided. It is configured.

Further, the plurality of reflecting members are configured to reflect the light beam so that all the reflecting members collect light on the same portion of the corresponding end portion of the recording medium.
As the plurality of reflecting members are arranged on the inner side along the recording medium, the light rays reflected by the first and second reflecting surfaces of the reflecting member are irradiated on the inner side along the recording medium. You may comprise as follows.

  That is, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the first, second, and third reflecting members 30a, 30b are provided on the inner surface of the reflecting plate on both end sides along the longitudinal direction of the flash lamp. 40a, 40b, 50a, 50b are respectively arranged, and the first, second, and third reflecting members 30a, 30b, 40a, 40b, 50a, 50b are irradiated from one end of the flash lamp 24. The first reflecting surfaces 300a, 400a, 500a that reflect the light beam 32 to the recording medium 12 near one end of the flash lamp 24, and the light beam 34 irradiated from the other end of the flash lamp 24, The second reflecting surfaces 300b, 400b, and 500b that reflect to the recording medium 21 in the vicinity of the opposite side of the flash lamp 34 are provided.

  The first, second, and third reflecting members 30a, 30b, 40a, 40b, 50a, and 50b are the first reflecting surfaces 300a of all the reflecting members 30a, 30b, 40a, 40b, 50a, and 50b. , 400 a, 500 a and 2, the light rays reflected by the reflecting surfaces 300 b, 400 b, 500 b are condensed on the same portion of the corresponding end of the recording medium 12.

  By doing so, it is possible to further increase the amount of light at the corresponding end of the recording medium 12.

  Note that the first and second reflecting surfaces of the reflecting members are set in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

  According to the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the light energy in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the flash lamp 24 can be made more uniform, and the substantially uniform light energy can be obtained over the entire length of the flash lamp. It turns out that it can irradiate.

  On the other hand, in the case of the technique according to the conventional example or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-252383, as shown in FIG. It can be seen that the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the lamp becomes extremely high, and in any case, it is not possible to irradiate substantially uniform light energy over the entire length of the flash lamp.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the reflecting member is not limited to a triangular shape, and may be any shape such as a trapezoidal shape, a polygonal shape, or a smooth curved shape, and the first reflection of the reflecting member. Even if the setting angles α and β of the surface and the second reflecting surface are not set to different values, and both are set to the same value θ1 = θ2, an effect can be obtained to some extent. A plurality of members may be arranged. At this time, the plurality of reflecting members are not necessarily provided continuously, and may be arranged at intervals.

  However, as will be understood from the above-described embodiment of the present invention, it is not necessary to simply provide the reflecting member, and the arrangement of the reflecting member and the setting angles of the first and second reflecting surfaces are appropriately set. Of course, there is a need.

  To explain further, FIGS. 12 to 14 show a representative example of this embodiment and three counter examples contrary to the present invention, and also show the light energy distribution and the light distribution.

  As is clear from FIGS. 12 to 14, when the position of the reflecting member and the angle of the reflecting surface do not match the present invention, the light energy at the central portion becomes extremely high, and In any case, the light energy distribution is non-uniform by providing a reflective member, such as the inside becomes extremely low, both ends are lowered, or the inside of both ends is high. It has become.

  On the other hand, in the case of the embodiment of the present invention, it can be seen that the distribution of light energy can be made substantially uniform, although the inside of both end portions is slightly lowered.

  Since other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

Embodiment 3
FIG. 15 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. The same reference numerals are given to the same parts as those in the first embodiment. In the third embodiment, the flash lamp is a recording medium. Rather than being arranged in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction, the flash lamp is arranged along the conveyance direction of the recording medium.

  Note that the reflecting member is disposed, for example, on the upstream side and the downstream side along the conveyance direction of the recording medium along the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the flash lamp.

  That is, in the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, a plurality of flash lamps 24 (eight in the illustrated example) are arranged along the conveyance direction of the recording medium 12. Reflecting members 30a and 30b are disposed on both ends along the longitudinal direction, that is, on the upstream side and the downstream side along the conveyance direction of the recording medium 12.

  Further, in the third embodiment shown in FIG. 16, as in the second embodiment, a plurality of first, second and third reflecting members 30a, 30b, 40a, 40b, 50a and 50b are provided. It can be seen that the distribution of light energy is substantially uniform over the printing area [m] (conveyance speed [m / s] ÷ flash cycle [s]).

  Since other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main part of a flash fixing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a high-speed printer as an image forming apparatus to which the flash fixing device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is applied. FIG. 3 is a perspective configuration diagram showing the flash fixing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, a configuration diagram viewed from the medium direction, and a configuration diagram viewed from a direction orthogonal to the medium direction. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the flash fixing device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the flash fixing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the flash fixing device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a main part of the flash fixing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention together with a graph of operation. FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the flash fixing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention together with a graph. FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram showing the reflecting member. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a main part of a flash fixing apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention together with a graph of operation. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a modification of the reflecting member. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a flash fixing device and a counter example according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a graph showing the operation of the flash fixing device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention and the counter example. FIG. 14 is a chart showing a light distribution distribution result of a flash fixing device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention and a counter example. FIG. 15 is a perspective configuration diagram showing a flash fixing device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention, a configuration diagram viewed from the medium direction, and a configuration diagram viewed from a direction orthogonal to the medium direction. FIG. 16 is a graph showing the operation of the flash fixing apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing a conventional flash fixing device. FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing a main part of a conventional flash fixing device together with an action graph. FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a main part of a conventional flash fixing apparatus together with a graph of operation. FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing a main part of a conventional flash fixing apparatus together with a graph of operation.

Explanation of symbols

  12: continuous paper (recording medium), 16: flash fixing device, 24: flash lamp, 30a, 30b: reflecting member, 300a: first reflecting surface, 300b: second reflecting surface.

Claims (10)

In a flash fixing device that emits a flash lamp and fixes an unfixed toner image on a recording medium by light energy irradiated from the flash lamp,
A reflection member that reflects the light beam emitted from the flash lamp toward a recording medium;
The reflecting member is irradiated from a first reflecting surface that reflects a light beam irradiated from one end of the flash lamp to a recording medium in the vicinity of the one end of the flash lamp, and from the other end of the flash lamp. A flash fixing device, comprising: a second reflecting surface that reflects a light beam to a recording medium near the opposite side of the flash lamp. 2. The flash fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the vicinity of one end portion and the vicinity of the opposite side of the flash lamp are regions of 30 mm on both sides centering on the end portion of the recording medium. The installation angle of the first reflecting surface and the second reflecting surface of the reflecting member is such that the light beam reflected at the center position of the first reflecting surface and the second reflecting surface is applied to the end of the recording medium. The flash fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the flash fixing device is set as follows. An auxiliary reflector that reflects light emitted from one end of the flash lamp to a recording medium near the opposite side of the flash lamp is disposed in the vicinity of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the flash lamp. The flash fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the flash fixing device is a flash fixing device. 5. The flash fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the flash lamp is disposed in a direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction of the recording medium. The flash fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the flash lamp is disposed in a conveyance direction of the recording medium. A plurality of the reflecting members are respectively disposed on both sides along the longitudinal direction of the flash lamp, and the light beams so that all the reflecting members collect light on the same portion of the corresponding end of the recording medium. The flash fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the flash fixing device reflects the light. A plurality of the reflecting members are disposed on both sides along the longitudinal direction of the flash lamp, and the reflecting member disposed on the inner side along the longitudinal direction of the flash lamp has an end portion of the recording medium. The flash fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the flash fixing device is configured to reflect light rays inwardly. 9. The flash fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the reflecting member has a cross-sectional shape of any one of a triangular shape, a trapezoidal shape, a polygonal shape, and a curved shape. An image forming apparatus using the flash fixing device according to claim 1.

Images